Motorcycle enthusiasts seek local gov’t support
Motorcycle enthusiasts here in Iloilo City are worried after the chief of Molo police station threatened to bump them if they are found racing on the road.
The Molo police chief made the warning last Friday night as several motorcycle enthusiasts gathered near the Molo cemetery.
The police went to the area to keep watch against motorcycle racing being conducted along MH Del Pilar Street.
Motorcycle enthusiasts, however, criticized the threat made by the police chief as very unlikely of a police officer and a gentleman.
The group’s spokesman lamented that motorcycle enthusiasts are being treated as criminals when what they are doing is only to express themselves and show off their skills and talent.
The spokesman said that instead of catching them or treating them like criminals the local government could have supported them by way of giving them the venue and opportunity to express their talent.
He said motorcycle racing is being done clandestinely on the roads, just like in Molo and Starmart Jaro, because the local government does not give approval for its permit.
He likened that motorcycle race to the sailboat race (paraw regatta) which has become a yearly attraction in Iloilo City because of the support of the local government unit and other government agencies concerned. He said full local government support made the conduct of the paraw regatta safe.
He said motorcycle racing would have been safe, contrary to the common perception that it is dangerous, if only the local government and the government agencies concerned support it.
The sailboat race is even more dangerous because it being made in the middle of the sea but because of safety precautions it has become acceptable. The same could have been made to motorcycle racing, he said.
The spokesman added that motorcycle racing is being recognized and promoted in other places and it even becomes an attraction which gathers many spectators thus helping propel economic activity in a certain place. He cited Bacolod City which included motorcycle and car races in their recently concluded Masskara Festival. Also, he noted that in other parts of the world like in Macau, China and Monaco motorcycle racing is considered a big event which has become a tourist attraction.
He lamented that here in Iloilo City all local officials are closed on the idea of supporting motorcycle enthusiasts, that instead of helping them they are being ostracized and treated like criminals.
